Abstract

Identification of oestrous is an important step in the captive breeding of the Julia Creek dunnart (Sminthopsisdouglasi) at David Fleay Wildlife Park (Qld). This is necessary in order to prevent injury to the male and/or thefemale of this endangered carnivorous marsupial. Oestrous in S. douglasi is currently identified by the presence ofcornified cells in the urine. However, oestrous has recently been identified in S. douglasi by behaviouralobservations. This research aims to identify and quantify reproductive behaviour through the application ofmachine vision technology, thus reducing the amount of human observation required in the identification ofoestrous in this and similar species. Images from two adjoining cages containing a male and a female S. douglasiwere captured on video via a CCD camera. The cages were illuminated by an array of infrared light-emittingdiodes. Contrast between the animals and the background in successive frames of the video stream enables thelocation of the dunnart in each image to be defined. This location is recorded in terms of vertical and horizontalposition based on a local coordinate system. This stream of coordinate data can be transformed into behaviouralinformation. Behaviours useful in identifying oestrous have been validated in a previous study.